Ever had to see a dr on board?

[patrick401ca]

I was wondering how much it costs if you need to see a doctor for a standard medical appointment on board and what it was like. I have a rare type of inflammatory arthritis which affects the spine and occasionally it flares up and I need to see an MD.

 

Have you seen a dr on Celebrity? What was it like? How terribly expensive? Was your travel insurance willing to cover it?

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I have had to go to the doctor on board ships with my kids, who have had various colds. It isn't more expensive than a doctor visit on land. It's about $90 for the visit plus medications. I never submitted this to my insurance- seemed like a bother. Having said that- I know that you can get into the thousands of dollars if they have to do anything above and beyond an examination.

[mrsdoc3]

My husband had to see the doctor on one our cruises. I concur with previous poster that it was not more expensive than land-based doctor.

[HelenREMfan]

I have to disagree. I had a very sore thumb. just by the side of my nail was a swelling so I bit the bullet and went into the bowels of the ship to see the Dr. I had a 30+ minute wait. I then was asked my medical history by a male nurse. I at last saw the Dr who was very nice and he decided he would open the wound to release the .... well you know. Now as I had already been there quite some time and I am no wimp..... as he seemed to be sending for another nurse, who I knew had left at the end of morning surgery ( Dr seemed peeved she had gone and was going to have her sent for to come back as he wanted anaesthetic injection for me)

As I didnt want to stay any longer I told him if they had a freeze spray that would be fine. So I had some gel put on and he made 2 incisions with a scalpel and pressed on it to extract any pus. A plaster was put on it and I was free to go. it did the job..... as after that all went well.

As we had drinks etc package and I had pre-paid my tours I didn't bother with my onboard account until near the end of the cruise. when I checked it that visit to the Dr cost me $450 !!! I near died of shock. I didn't receive any medication just the Dr time. I had also waited a long while to see the Dr as quite a few crew were waiting to be seen.

I didn't make any claim on travel insurance - I did query at customer services as I did wonder whether they had charged me for anaesthetic injection which I didn't have.... but the breakdown I asked for didn't itemise anything. As I have pre existing medical conditions I didn't want to affect the price of future medical travel insurance.

So ...be warned......

[wednesday]

I visited the doctor on my Baltic cruise for a cold, didn't have to wait and it was really no different than visiting a doctor on land. I think it was around $100.00 including meds and my travel insurance reimbursed me.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I have to disagree. I had a very sore thumb. just by the side of my nail was a swelling so I bit the bullet and went into the bowels of the ship to see the Dr. I had a 30+ minute wait. I then was asked my medical history by a male nurse. I at last saw the Dr who was very nice and he decided he would open the wound to release the .... well you know. Now as I had already been there quite some time and I am no wimp..... as he seemed to be sending for another nurse, who I knew had left at the end of morning surgery ( Dr seemed peeved she had gone and was going to have her sent for to come back as he wanted anaesthetic injection for me)

As I didnt want to stay any longer I told him if they had a freeze spray that would be fine. So I had some gel put on and he made 2 incisions with a scalpel and pressed on it to extract any pus. A plaster was put on it and I was free to go. it did the job..... as after that all went well.

As we had drinks etc package and I had pre-paid my tours I didn't bother with my onboard account until near the end of the cruise. when I checked it that visit to the Dr cost me $450 !!! I near died of shock. I didn't receive any medication just the Dr time. I had also waited a long while to see the Dr as quite a few crew were waiting to be seen.

I didn't make any claim on travel insurance - I did query at customer services as I did wonder whether they had charged me for anaesthetic injection which I didn't have.... but the breakdown I asked for didn't itemise anything. As I have pre existing medical conditions I didn't want to affect the price of future medical travel insurance.

So ...be warned......

 

That does seem a bit excessive for what was done but I'm not surprised really. A woman on one our cruises fainted and had a seizure and had no history of this. She was kept overnight for observation in the doctor's office and the bill was $3000.00. If it is anything other than an examination (which is observing you and taking your temp.) it will be more than a standard visit.

[iancal]

Once. My son saw a Dr. on a RCCL cruise. Fractured wrist-hairline fracture.

 

When we returned home he was in pain. Had to have the procedure done again because of the substandard work on the ship (DW is a nurse and the Dr's are usually very frank).

 

Followed up with a complaint, only to learn that the medical is 'contracted out'.

 

We subsequently learned that contracting out of certain areas is often done by cruise lines to avoid those 'pesky lawsuits'....not that we had any intention whatsoever of considering a lawsuit or even asking for a future cruise credit.

 

Not certain if Celebrity contracts out but it would not surprise me since they are a sub of RCCL.

Edited January 16, 2014 by iancal

[cherylroslyn]

I have to disagree. I had a very sore thumb. just by the side of my nail was a swelling so I bit the bullet and went into the bowels of the ship to see the Dr. I had a 30+ minute wait. I then was asked my medical history by a male nurse. I at last saw the Dr who was very nice and he decided he would open the wound to release the .... well you know. Now as I had already been there quite some time and I am no wimp..... as he seemed to be sending for another nurse, who I knew had left at the end of morning surgery ( Dr seemed peeved she had gone and was going to have her sent for to come back as he wanted anaesthetic injection for me)

As I didnt want to stay any longer I told him if they had a freeze spray that would be fine. So I had some gel put on and he made 2 incisions with a scalpel and pressed on it to extract any pus. A plaster was put on it and I was free to go. it did the job..... as after that all went well.

As we had drinks etc package and I had pre-paid my tours I didn't bother with my onboard account until near the end of the cruise. when I checked it that visit to the Dr cost me $450 !!! I near died of shock. I didn't receive any medication just the Dr time. I had also waited a long while to see the Dr as quite a few crew were waiting to be seen.

I didn't make any claim on travel insurance - I did query at customer services as I did wonder whether they had charged me for anaesthetic injection which I didn't have.... but the breakdown I asked for didn't itemise anything. As I have pre existing medical conditions I didn't want to affect the price of future medical travel insurance.

So ...be warned......

That really does not seem expensive to me. I had something similar done to a toe by a podiatrist on land and the bill was about 650.00. It was covered by insurance but when I looked at the itemization it totalled over 650......

[m1celt]

I have to disagree. I had a very sore thumb. just by the side of my nail was a swelling so I bit the bullet and went into the bowels of the ship to see the Dr. I had a 30+ minute wait. I then was asked my medical history by a male nurse. I at last saw the Dr who was very nice and he decided he would open the wound to release the .... well you know. Now as I had already been there quite some time and I am no wimp..... as he seemed to be sending for another nurse, who I knew had left at the end of morning surgery ( Dr seemed peeved she had gone and was going to have her sent for to come back as he wanted anaesthetic injection for me)

As I didnt want to stay any longer I told him if they had a freeze spray that would be fine. So I had some gel put on and he made 2 incisions with a scalpel and pressed on it to extract any pus. A plaster was put on it and I was free to go. it did the job..... as after that all went well.

As we had drinks etc package and I had pre-paid my tours I didn't bother with my onboard account until near the end of the cruise. when I checked it that visit to the Dr cost me $450 !!! I near died of shock. I didn't receive any medication just the Dr time. I had also waited a long while to see the Dr as quite a few crew were waiting to be seen.

I didn't make any claim on travel insurance - I did query at customer services as I did wonder whether they had charged me for anaesthetic injection which I didn't have.... but the breakdown I asked for didn't itemise anything. As I have pre existing medical conditions I didn't want to affect the price of future medical travel insurance.

So ...be warned......

 

Actually, that seems about right. My husband had the exact same procedure at an urgent care clinic because our doctor's office was already closed for the weekend. I believe the total cost was around $400.

[sandancer]

Someone on one of our cruises sprained her ankle and was charged 650 dollars for 2 visits to the doc. Once to have it strapped up and one more to check it next day.

[MikeColorado]

If you decide to submit to your travel insurance, you first have to submit it through your normal medical insurance before travel insurance will consider it. At least, that is how it worked for us.

[Balloon Man]

Thank God for the National Health Service in the UK. All the above would have been free. In fact it's all free. Of course, you might have to wait six months for an operation, but aspirin is cheap!

[BBsails]

I saw a doctor twice on the Solstice last year and think I got excellent care. The staff were contracted. and everyone I saw (two different MDs and a couple of nurses) was from South Africa. I don't remember the charges, but I didn't feel they were excessive. Our insurance covers us outside the US, so they paid.

 

Patrick, your inflammatory arthritis may or may not be covered. It would probably be considered a pre-existing condition, any you may be able to buy insurance that would cover you should it flare up on the ship. I'm no insurance expert, so it would be a good idea to check. I think the staff at tripinsurancestore.com is excellent. I have no affiliation with the site other than that of satisfied customer.

 

Betsy

[mahdnc]

I was wondering how much it costs if you need to see a doctor for a standard medical appointment on board and what it was like. I have a rare type of inflammatory arthritis which affects the spine and occasionally it flares up and I need to see an MD.

 

Have you seen a dr on Celebrity? What was it like? How terribly expensive? Was your travel insurance willing to cover it?

 

During our Eclipse cruise last week my son and I each saw the ship's doctor separately.

 

Our son was diagnosed with an ear infection that he contracted during the cruise (my wife and I feared that he had a ruptured ear drum from the scuba diving we did). The doctor he saw was from Columbia. $155 was charged to our stateroom account for the doctor's visit and anti-biotics.

 

I had the cold/flu symptoms that I developed during the second week of our cruise and saw the doctor (a different doctor--Italian--on the ship's medical staff than the one that saw my son). Upper respiratory infection. $220 for the visit and all the medication.

 

All in all, not too bad. Maybe next time we will buy the Classic Medical Package, if Celebrity offers one on our next cruise.

 

The infirmary was open daily at 7-11am and 4-7pm.

 

-------------------------------------------

 

Back in 2005 aboard Horizon, my wife suffered a deep leg wound crashing into the tree platform on a zip line ride in Costa Rica. The ship's medical staff did an excellent job taking care of her (x-rays, 2 layers of sutures + IV antibiotics over multiple visits). They also worked with us on the cost which we submitted to our medical insurance carrier with no problems in getting re-imbursed. I think the ship charged us about $1000.

 

Edited January 16, 2014 by mahdnc

[Fouremco]

OHIP will cover some of the fees ( http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/ohip/outofcountry/ ), but travel insurance will be required to recoup a greater percentage of the cost. Be aware, however, that coverage for pre-existing conditions varies with different insurance companies and policies.

[ctp365]

I'm with you there Balloon Man. Thank goodness for Medicare in Australia. All the above would be free for us too. My partner had to go to a ships doctor to get an ear syringed and it cost $200. We got half back on our travel insurance. That simple procedure would not have cost us a cent in Australia.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[HelenREMfan]

Well seeing as someone was quoting $90 for a brief Dr visit I did think $450 was way above that. I still think I was charged for the anaesthetic jab I didn't have.....

[woldig120]

I got the norovirus when we were on the Contellation two years ago. I thought I was bringing up blood when I was being sick. Had an ECG, a blood test by the doctor and nurse. The "blood" was red wine which I had been drinking before the vomiting started.

Got a detailed form showing all the treatment I had been given. Sent this off to the travel insurance company and got re-imbursed in less than two weeks. Cost about six hundred dollars.

My wife was also taken ill with the same virus, but they just gave her an injection and did not charge us for the treatment.

We are British and we are covered for ten million pounds medical expenses.

[patty1955]

On our last cruise, DH developed a sinus infection and had to see the doctor. We had to wait hours (there was noro on board) and the bill came to almost $300. He was given antibiotics that came to $8 per pill.

While I understand that noro is important and the people suffering from it need to be seen, we were exposed to everybody's illnesses. Plus, from listening to the people's list of what they had eaten in the 24 hours, it was pretty clear what the problem was.

[Tiggertastic]

my son ripped off a toe nail climbing out of the pool and a bar waiter dragged him off to the medical centre as his toe was bleeding, without speaking to us.

 

They put a plaster on it and charged us for the pleasure

 

Straight down to guest relations to see them - A) why take a child off without speaking to the parent and B) get the health and safety staff out

 

As we both work in healthcare, it would have been a clean up with antiseptic wipes and a plaster from mum

 

They discovered that a bolt had not been fastened properly on the ladder, they soon refunded the charge and offered us complimentary dinner etc, worried we were going to sue?

 

At christmas, as we were disembarking in Barbados we had to go past the medical centre and a sign on the door said $35 up front charge plus costs for any treatment and investigations

Edited January 16, 2014 by Tiggertastic

[Bfson]

On one cruise my wife got an infection from a cut on her foot. On another cruise she got noro. We found the medical staff to be quite good, but as already noted, expensive.

 

Fortunately our health insurance reimburses us for care when none of their facilities are available.

[drarill]

I was wondering how much it costs if you need to see a doctor for a standard medical appointment on board and what it was like. I have a rare type of inflammatory arthritis which affects the spine and occasionally it flares up and I need to see an MD.

 

Have you seen a dr on Celebrity? What was it like? How terribly expensive? Was your travel insurance willing to cover it?

 

My best advice will be to go to your doctor a couple of weeks before the cruise. He might give you prophylactic treatment or a prescription for the medicines you will need in case you have a flare up.

Never been to a medical facility on a cruise, but my husband did at the Oasis of the Seas and was really impressed. :):) He went with a friend that needed some sutures after falling on a ship sponsor tour. :(

[20pluscruises]

On our last cruise, DH developed a sinus infection and had to see the doctor. We had to wait hours (there was noro on board) and the bill came to almost $300. He was given antibiotics that came to $8 per pill.

While I understand that noro is important and the people suffering from it need to be seen, we were exposed to everybody's illnesses. Plus, from listening to the people's list of what they had eaten in the 24 hours, it was pretty clear what the problem was.

 

Same happened to my Father...$350 for the visit..which he had to wait hours to see the Doctor...because the Doctor has only certain hours that he is in...it wasn't good... had to take him off the ship to a hospital in Alaska (only when the ship got into port) and then had to air ambulence him home....his health insurance did cover all but $400...this ,by the way, was on a HAL ship.

 

p.s. DH had to have his Doctor send a fax to a pharmacy in St Maartin for an antibiotic for a sinus infection...check to see if this is doable with your Dr. before leaving on your cruise.

Edited January 16, 2014 by 20pluscruises

[dmk]

I was wondering how much it costs if you need to see a doctor for a standard medical appointment on board and what it was like. I have a rare type of inflammatory arthritis which affects the spine and occasionally it flares up and I need to see an MD.

 

Have you seen a dr on Celebrity? What was it like? How terribly expensive? Was your travel insurance willing to cover it?

 

I have seen a doctor on the ship. Twice, unfortunately...Due to an accident and post surgery complications.

As a fellow Canadian, I would encourage you to get travel medical insurance. We had travel insurance. We did first have to send the claim to the government. After, we sent it to our travel insurance company. Everything was reimbursed. It did take a while but because of the cost it was well worth it.

[MVPinBoynton]

I have been to see a doctor twice on one cruise and once on another Celebrity cruise. Both times were for upper respiratory infections. On the first one, I was not on Medicare yet and my company insurance didn't cover out of country, so our travel insurance paid for the visits. On the second cruise I had Medicare, which did pay for it. The office visit was $111 plus about $50 for a Z-Pak. Looking at my invoice, below are what Celebrity charged for office visits in June 2013:

 

Level 1 - $72

Level 2 - $111

Level 3 - $162

Level 4 - $235

Level 5 - $299

Edited January 16, 2014 by MVPinBoynton